Firefighters Say Marijuana Growth Operation Is To Blame For Fire

The Yakima Fire Department says a marijuana groing operation is to blame for the cause of a fire this weekend.

It happened around 7 pm Saturday on the 16 hundred block of Browne Avenue -- firefighters say it started in the basement of an apartment complex .

Crews say about 25 to 35 marijuana plants were growing in that room, and may have led to an electrical overload, which started the fire.

Firefighters say with marijuana decriminalized in Washington, they expect to see more fires starting from growing operations.

"Some statistics say that you're up to 40 times more likely to have a fire than in a normal house, and there's a lot of different hazards," said Lt. Hans Solie, "They bypass the electrical meters a lot of times, which makes hazards for us as firefighters."

No one was injured in the fire -- however, crews say damage is estimated at about 60 thousand dollars.